Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Doing Gluten & Allergen Free Southern Style in Little Rock

With the tornado past in April, and a couple of days to burn before I could return home, I reached out and sought the best of gluten and allergen free in Little Rock AR before their event. The city of Little Rock reminds me of many Southern cities. I had no idea how Southern it was until I heard the local accents and experienced their food culture, but never mistake the fact that Little Rock has a small but underlying current of foodies.

The bedrock of their allergen free community is Dempsey Bakery. This adorable bakery is housed in a downtown older building, and when you walk in, you feel as if you have been transported into the fifties. The red and white checked tile flooring, the modern Art Deco tables and chairs, and the logo all give the impression of your parent's favorite family stop - And if you're lucky, Paula Dempsey will be behind the counter.

Paula Dempsey as shot by Soiree Magazine

She reminds you of everyone's favorite Grandmother and yet she is brilliantly before her time. Any restaurant that has Gluten Free on the menu in Little Rock, is most likely carrying her bread or desserts. Not only that, she has started the first children's group in the area with meetings held in the bakery. Lucky kids!

Paula also sees the lack of options and need for local bakeries to reach out to their hospitals, hotels, and restaurants to aid them in providing safe, allergen free meals to their patients. She has complete frozen meals available for them when someone needs them and strives to make her products easily accesible. How perfectly awesome is that?

We happened across Bear Kingdom Vineyards, they make Muscadine Wine based jellies and jams with no gluten or corn in their sourcing. I have many fond memories of eating Muscadine grapes with my grandfather behind his house. He would pick a few and we would eat them, dirt and all, still warm from the Southern sunshine. So, I am tickled to try this local vendor's Arkansas treasure.

Sabiaco Abbey & Country Monk Products

My father called me with excitement in his foodie voice to tell me he had found Sabiaco Abbey and their famous Abbey Peanut Brittle and hot Monk Sauce. The Peanut Brittle recipe has been passed down by the monks and is still cooked at the Abbey by Fr. Richard and Br. Reginald. The very hot habanero based “Monk Sauce” begins production during the winter as Fr. Richard prepares and grows the plants. They are then placed into the ground to be tended by Fr. Richard, Br. Reginald, and Fr. Bruno. After picking, they are then cooked with Fr. Richard’s special recipe, bottled, and then packaged to ship.

Who would have thought Monks like hot sauce? Either way, it is phenomenal, but let me stress....HOT

Habanero has this slow lingering burn that is distinctive and lasting.

First Gluten Free Expo with a Monk in his Habit

Whole Foods Little Rock has been a wonderful ally and represented several brands at the event June 21! Their Whole Foods Bake House has been a life saver many times in our household and I am sure in others also. I continue to be grateful to work with them on so many important events in this journey down Allergy Free Back Roads.

Homayd Natural Care Products were a find at the event for gluten free, natural soaps including human and their four-legged friend dog shampoo bars! I bought 2 Dingy Dog Bars because my daughter always wants to help shampoo the pups

And then there was the Blogger Team Dinner sponsored by Dempsey Bakery that was Southern charm rolled into that retro ambiance of stepping back in time and yet allergen free. Paula made us a cake that will go down in history as one of our faves!

Blogger Team Dinner Party Little Rock

Little Rock needs more products and access to them. If you want to help a growing community, please try their market. You will never meet people more grateful for your presence. That is a Southern etiquette that can't be imitated.

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Author of Blog

Welcome to Allergy Free Back Roads where we travel the U.S.A. setting up events for allergen-free living. On most trips, my teenage daughter, Erin a.k.a. "Doodle", comes along with me. We have been planning these events since Erin was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2008.

We live in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, in the heart of Appalachia - But, you never know where we will end up next. I hope you will find motivation, perseverance, and a dose of humor thrown in while relating to our adventures as we travel; experiencing different cultures, allergen-free foods, and finding commonality in community.

The opinions and articles written here are my own and not paid for by the companies reviewed.